She Will Be Mine
by CrypticMoonFang
Summary: Zim is accused by Dib of being unable to feel human affection. To avoid alien detection, Zim sets his sights on Gaz. Zim/Gaz First IZ story. R&R Flames not accepted!
1. Chapter 1

-Chapter 1-

A boy dressed in a black overcoat stood on the cafeteria table, preparing to announce what he was sure his opponent couldn't combat.

"Attention, fellow students!" he began, hardly catching his rival's attention, "I have some very important news concerning Zim! As you are all aware, ZIM IS AN ALIEN!"

Not a single person turned their head to look at him. They continued to eat their food nonchalantly, unaware that the words he spoke were true. A few of them talked amongst themselves, while others enjoyed each other's presence. No one so much as batted an eyelash towards the issue.

"No, really! I can prove it!" he persisted, finally catching the green-skinned boy's attention, "How many of you have a crush?" After seeing nearly everyone raise their hand in response, he smirked and continued, "Well, has it ever occurred to you that Zim has never felt anything for anyone? This is because aliens can't feel human affection!" Dib pointed at Zim with a stiff finger.

How was the alien to combat this statement? It was true; he'd hated the humans ever since he arrived on this planet. And being an Urkan invader, he found people disgusting. He would have to show by action that he belonged among them.

"Um...I simply do not show emotion the way most people do. But I have felt many things for your earthly females!" he protested.

"Oh, yeah? Which one?" Dib pressed, confident that he'd finally gotten the intruder cornered. His smirk grew, intimidating Zim.

"For..." He thought for a moment. He didn't ever pay attention to the school's girls or boys. It was only Dib that had ever concerned him. He didn't know any-wait! "I feel affection towards-" he hopped off his chair and walked over to a girl with some kind of electronic in her hands. She seemed quite focused on it, and didn't acknowledge his presence. He pointed at this lavender-haired girl and resumed, "-this one."

Everyone gasped, being as no one had ever liked her before, and Dib's jaw dropped. "G-Gaz? She's my sister!"

"Yes, I feel very fondly for her. Now you know the truth! I am normal, now we may continue eating," he said.

"Are you kidding? Gaz?" the paranormal investigator repeated.

"Yes, I have chosen Gaz. Is this so-"

"Wait! Did you choose her or did she choose you?" he interrupted, the smirk slowly returning.

"Uh..." He thought again. How did humans 'choose' each other? On Urk, they were created, not bred. Apparently, humans were bred. "She has chosen me, of course," he lied. He bent to tap Gaz on the shoulder.

"What?" she hissed, "I'm busy."

"Um... Of course you are! So very busy! We shall meet after school and...uh..." What did humans do again? Food! It was something they all shared in common, wasn't it? So naturally, he could pull this off, though Dib already knew what was going on. "We shall meet after school, where you will be pelted with chocolates!" he announced.

"I know what you're up to, Zim..." the boy muttered. How had his plan gone so wrong? He thought he'd finally cornered him! And instead, he ended up giving Zim a free ticket to Gaz. To his own sister! The realization dawned on him. He'd given away his sister to an alien. What kind of brother was he? And where was an overprotective dad when you needed one?

Zim walked out of the cafeteria, feeling satisfied at yet another victory over Dib.

Gaz's eyes widened as her game died. "Noooo!" she yelled, "And to think I was almost done with Gnack!" She glanced again at her game and flicked it. It wasn't going to come back on. "Noooo!" she yelled again.

* * *

"GIR!" Zim called out in his house, "Gir, I have called in ill today. I shall not be attending the Skool where all the other humans go to. This will give us plenty of time to work on our new evil plan of destruction for the DISGUSTING MAGGOTS that are the humans!"

"Does the plan have muffins in it?" the challenged SIR unit asked happily, "Will you make muffins?"

"I will-"

"Will you make muffins?"

"I will-"

"Will you make muffins?"

Zim did not answer back; if he did, Gir would only repeat his question.

"Master, why are you calling in ill?" the SIR unit said, his few-second-long serious mode activating.

"I just told-"

"Will you make muffins?"

"No, Gir, I won't-"

"MUFFINS?"

The Urkan sighed. He'd already tried making Gir smart; that hadn't gone as planned.

"Master, you wouldn't try to abandon the girl yet, would you?" the robot's deep voice asked, "That would never do."

"Gir, tell me what the mating practices of a FILTHY human are," Zim commanded, determined to take this rare chance of focus.

"Unlike Urkans, they are not created, they breed to create new life forms known as 'babies'," he started.

"Yes, yes. I know that much. Tell me more, Gir. Things I do not know," he ordered.

"Yes, sir! It is common for a male to court a female by doing whatever it is she bids. The females often play coy at first, but as the rituals continue, she begins to accept the male as her mate."

The alien nodded. "And tell me, what are these 'rituals' of which you spoke?"

"The male often obtains food, known as 'dinner' for the female. It is a an instinctive act of courtship that has never been bred out of the human race. Taking the female to dinner or to the movies is often known among them as a 'date'. The same behavior may occur countless times before the female will become closer to the male. This is the second step, known as 'boyfriend' for the male and 'girlfriend' for the female. The third step is marriage, or the joining of the pair. But most relationships do not last this long."

"And how long does a human have to be married for?"

"Until one of them dies. It symbolizes that the courtship is over and the female has chosen her mate to be the current courting male."

"Current?"

"Yes, current. Many males may court a female at the same time, but only one of them can be her mate."

"I see. How long does the courtship usually last for?"

"It ranges from months to years."

"Then this means the girl humans are much harder to court than the girl Urkans. But then, this may be why we Urkans do not breed anymore."

"Will you make muffins?" Yep, the original Gir was back. Back and as happy as ever, because it was impossible to be any happier.

"Now that I know how to capture the Gaz human's heart, I shall whisk her to a land she never even knew of! A land called...ZIM!" he said. Oh, this would be sweet, sweet revenge on Dib.

**'Kay, so...yeah. Just a prologue for now. Always open to ideas for the next chapter! (and please suggest some, I don't know where to go with this story) Also, didja like the Gir randomness? I don't know where I got the muffin idea from, but it suits him, I think.**

**Lemme know what you guys think! R&R **


	2. Chapter 2

-Chapter 2-

Gaz sighed in annoyance.

"What's wrong, Gaz? Is it Zim?" Dib spat the name 'Zim' as if it were the worst cuss word on the face of the planet.

"You're paranoid. It's my game. I bought this stupid thing and now it won't work," she answered.

"Do you even know what happened in the cafeteria today?" he asked.

She thought for a moment. Let's see, there had been the first level, where she'd tried to face the practice boss, but had failed three times before she got the hang of it. Then there was the second level, which was nearly unbeatable. She'd beaten it anyway. But the third level, out of all the five levels, was where the game had turned off and wouldn't come back on. "My game died."

Okay, so apparently she didn't know. It was either good or bad for him. Hopefully this would end with him triumphantly exposing his nemesis, but things usually never turned out that way. And why exactly was he feeling the need to protect Gaz? Sure, she was his sister, but Zim hated humans. He'd never actually go through with this...would he? Zim was known to do anything for his 'mission', even if he despised it. But to get this close to the very things he hated most? Hard call. Hard call indeed.

* * *

The Irken, meanwhile, was striving on a piece of paper. He hardly knew how to write in English, but was making quite an effort despite his lack of smart-sounding words to use in this instant.

"Are you done yet? Can I see it?" the high-pitched squeal of Gir asked.

"No, Gir. This is a difficult task indeed! But it's nothing Zim cannot handle on his own. AND ZIM IS ME!" he replied.

"Do you like Gaz?" he questioned.

"Of course not! But for the sake of the mission, and for the happiness of the Tallest, I must do what I must do. Besides, this might bring me closer to how Dib knows about every plan I devise. If I can infiltrate his home, I can put an end to this once and for all," Zim returned.

Gir sauntered over to the desk his master sat at and quickly scanned the paper. "You're doing it wrong."

"DO NOT TELL ME WHAT IS WRONG OR RIGHT!" he lashed.

"But I can do it better! Please let me help, Master! Please let me help!" the SIR unit begged.

"Recite to me a poem and I may let you help me," Zim complied.

"What kind of poem? Tragedy? Romance?" he asked.

"Hm...romance," he answered.

"Okey-dokey!" the robot stayed quiet for a little while, conjuring up a poem all on his own. Then he spoke,

"She will meet him one rainy night,  
When destiny interferes,  
He will be her hero,  
To chase away her fears.

"He will tell her she is beautiful,  
And they will dance the night away,  
She will stay no matter what,  
Through the brilliance of each day.

"She will tightly clutch his hand,  
And never leave his side,  
He will always protect her,  
Each time the stars collide.

"He will consider her an equal,  
As their minds and souls both merge,  
She will feel the anguish,  
But his heart will not diverge.

"She will risk everything for him,  
The oncoming storm,  
He will follow her into the dark,  
To feel her safe and warm.

"He will echo through her dreams,  
Burn up a sun just to say goodbye,  
She will cry silent tears,  
Still waiting for his reply.

"She will save his entire world,  
Fracturing time and space,  
He will make all her dreams come true.  
Now he has had his last embrace.

"He is forever cursed to walk alone,  
So this is what he must do,  
She will feel the heartache,  
Because he is not you.

"She will make her choice,  
Because it did need to be said,  
He will give her no goodbyes,  
And his final tears will be shed.

"He will always be the lonely angel,  
The man so many oppose,  
She has everything she could ever want,  
But she will always be his rose."

The green Irken blinked just once in disbelief. "That's horrible, Gir! It disgusts me!"

"But I'm sure Gaz will like it," he said pleadingly.

"I already have a poem ten times better," he announced. He cleared his throat with a firm 'ah-hem' sound. "Roses are red; violets are blue. Sugar is sweet, but not as sweet as you."

His only audience was the little SIR unit, who was smiling and clapping merrily. "That's great! She'll love it!"

"I know." The alien smirked at his completely non-cliche poem. "I also have it as my poem of doom for when I destroy this miserable planet. Roses are red; violets are blue. Enjoy your last days, for I will crush you."

His internal alarm went off, inaudible to anyone but himself, and Gir rushed off the the TV, shouting, "My show is on!"

* * *

The night was cool, and Gaz gazed up at the night sky. There were just a few speckles of starlight, but she could clearly see them. Though she never showed any emotion in front of people, she secretly snuck out later to release what she kept locked up. Oh, how she wished she could ask Dib what happened to their mother. And why their dad was never there. And so many other things. It would be nice if, just for once, all the pain of not knowing could just...vanish.

A few tears managed to slip past her guard and brought her from her lapse in concentration. She needed to keep them contained; she didn't like it when people thought she was girly and weak. But there was no holding these salty raindrops back. They were coming out no matter what she did.

All she could do was frantically and repeatedly wipe them away.

But they just kept coming and coming. She didn't even notice when Dib opened the door, getting ready to dash down the street to Zim's house with his spy camera in hand. But he paused when he saw her. Something was wrong; her body and breath were hitching and she was shaking somewhat violently.

"Gaz? What are you doing out so late?" he asked in concern.

She quickly tried to answer with an even voice, but her words came out broken and dismantled, "Nothing, I was just thinking."

Dib sat down on the step beside her, wondering if she was really crying like he thought. But this was Gaz, it could also be an evil trap to destroy him for something he did that might've angered her. However, when he sat down and looked at her, she didn't seem like the Gaz he knew at all. She kept her eyes on the stars that kissed the sky and there were countless tears streaming down her face, dropping off at her chin.

"What's wrong, Gaz?" he asked softly. She may scare the daylights out of him, but regardless, she was his sister and he was her older brother. It was his job to be there when she was upset about something. Whether it was a broken Game Slave or a broken heart.

"Dib, what happened...to Mom?" she questioned, mustering every ounce of courage she had, "And why is Dad never here? Was it my fault?"

Her brother's eyes dropped to the ground below them. It was Mom, huh? That's what she was so worked up about. "Mom..." he began, "Mom...didn't really go to Africa like we told you. You were so young back then...that you wouldn't have understood. We decided to wait until you were alot older to tell you, when you asked on your own. And now that you have, I guess it's only fair you know. Mom...never wanted us."

Gaz's attention snapped to Dib. Why? Why had their mother not wanted them? What had they done so wrong to have their mother's affections ripped from them?

Dib reluctantly continued, "At the time, she and Dad were dating. Then she got pregnant with me. And then I was born. But she never wanted anything to do with me. Even from when I was small, I could tell that much. But at the time, I just thought that was how moms were. I thought that was how they loved you. But when she got pregnant with you..." He took a deep breath, trying to control his own mixed feelings, and kept going, "W-When Mom got pregnant with you, she...she tried to...kill herself..." He sniffled and his eyes, too, were raining saltwater. "She already hated me, and didn't want another kid. But before she could finish up the act, Dad stopped her. They reached an agreement: she would carry out her entire nine months of pregnancy and then once you were born, she would leave...and never come back. And that's what happened. You were only a day old when they let you and mom out fo the hospital. Then mom left, and we haven't seen or heard from her since. So Dad took on the responsibility of raising us. And to this day we don't know where Mom's at."

Gaz took a little bit of time to let everything sink in. And after it did, the tears became more numerous. They were unstoppable now. "Why does Mom hate us, Dib? What did we do wrong?"

Her brother gently put an arm around his little sister, knowing how hard it was for her to hear such things. "I don't know, Gaz. I've asked myself that so many times, but I could never come up with an answer," he whispered, pulling her closer.

"But we were good kids, weren't we?" she asked.

"Yeah, we were. But it didn't matter to Mom," he replied.

"Did she ever sing lullabys or give us hugs?" she asked, hopeful that maybe there was _some_ care in their mother. Surely she couldn't have completely hated them...right?

"No, Gaz. She never did any of those motherly things," he answered softly.

"What was she like?" Gaz continued to interrogate.

Dib glanced upward at the stars his sister had been looking at. He blinked away the rest of his tears and spoke, "She was...a good person. She liked to have fun with her friends. And she loved Dad so, so much. A-And every time you looked into her eyes...t-they sparkled. She was pretty and fun-loving and she was a great cook, unlike Dad."

This caused what he'd hoped it would. Gaz chuckled lightly. Dib forced himself to chuckle with her for a few seconds.

"Yeah, Dad's a pretty bad cook," she murmured, "But why is he never here?"

Another question that he'd have a hard time answering. "Gaz, when Mom left, the economy was bad. Dad tried, but he couldn't always hold down a job as well as take care of two kids, especially when one of them was a newborn. You weren't a real needy baby, but you still had to be fed every few hours and at around three and a half months, you started teething. Dad had to buy things for you to chew on as well as keep you fed. But eventually it became too much for him to handle alone. He taught me how to feed and change you, and I started taking care of you myself. Dad finally got a job that he could keep, but it required alot of work, and he had almost no time to come home and spend time with us. With me taking care of you and him making money, it kinda worked out for us and we've managed to stay out of debt that way. But then Dad got promoted..."

"He got promoted to his current job, didn't he?" she said, filling in the rest of the sentence for him.

He nodded. "Yeah. He said he'd always come home for the holidays, but...his job kept him from keeping that promise. Anyway, as you got older his job became more of a workload. But he kept earning good enough money to keep us off the streets. It was hard without Mom there to help him, but he managed. And I got a benefit as well. You were heavy for a little kid like myself, so by carrying you, I got stronger. Plus, it was fun picking out your outfits for the next day. I remember when you went to school for the very first time." He laughed and continued, "You were so scared, I had to skip school to come with you until you made some friends there."

So then...Dib had actually been there for her, not her dad or her mom, which she never knew. He was her brother, yet he was also more like her father than her biological dad. He'd taken care of her, he'd helped her, he'd played with her. And now she remembered some of it. Dib had always been the one to put a band-aid on her when she got hurt. Then he would kiss her boo-boo and she instantly felt better. Then she would run off to continue doing whatever it was she was doing.

"Feel better now, Gaz?" he asked.

She nodded as a response. "Hey, Dib?"

He looked down at her.

"It wasn't Dad who took care of me. It wasn't him who understood me, was it? You were the one who raised me, weren't you?" she mused.

Dib faltered. Where was this coming from? "We-Well, there wasn't anyone else around, so...I guess. I mean, you were my little sister. I wanted to be someone you looked up to. Someone you always thought of as cool, strong, brave, smart. And you did at one point. You would follow me anywhere I went and you would study me. Then you would try to act like me. It was actually kind of flattering. You used to think I was the coolest thing in the world. I remember how good that made me feel. I always loved to brag about you and how much you looked up to me. I would always say things like, 'My sister loves me so much she mimics me!' or, 'My baby sister thinks I'm way more awesome than you are.' And I remember using it to my advantage. I would rub it in peolpe's faces when they were mean to me. And when people were mean to you, oh, that's when I got angry! Your classmates were afraid of me because I would make sure no one picked on you. And no one did. But then you started getting into games and TV. I hated it, because the characters on the TV shows were always more mature and cooler than me. You started looking up to them instead, and I would often get jealous. But then I learned to accept it and move on."

That much was probably true; she'd stopped looking up to Dib a long time ago thanks to the television. But she secretly still thought he was cool. Just...not as cool as the people on TV. She hugged him tighter before pulling away and saying a quick, "Thanks, Dib." before walking back into the house.


	3. Chapter 3

-Chapter 3-

Zim looked up. Finally, he was at Skool. His legs wobbled over to the front door, where he waited very patiently for Gaz's bus to arrive. Why was he so nervous? He'd worked so hard on his poem he'd written for her, that must be it. He'd worked so hard that he wanted the approval of the one whom he'd written for. Yes, this was it. Nothing more, nothing less.

After about an hour, Gaz's bus stopped on the asphalt of the road in front of the school building. Kids flooded out of the vehicle in a frenzy to hurry to their classes. But the green-skinned boy searched thoroughly through the quorums of students in all their childlike madness. And then, the last one off the bus. Gaz. She had her hair down this time, which is why he hadn't recognized her at first. It was actually a good look for her.

She walked calmly up to the school's front entrance, only glancing at Zim for a moment before continuing her short-lived journey.

Her ignorance only slightly angered him. "You will not ignore ZIM!" he yelled to her.

"Not now, grass stain," she drawled.

He took action when she was about to pass through the establishment's doors. His arm reached out and grabbed her shoulders. He pulled her to the side of the brick facility and got out his neatly-folded piece of paper. He slowly unfolded it and looked over the writing quickly, assuring himself she'd like it. The alien cleared his throat and began. "Roses are red, violets are blue. Sugar is sweet, but not as sweet as you," he recited. He lowered the paper to reveal an excited grin on his face.

Her right eye twitched in irritation. "I'm not sweet."

He felt his squigglysmooch sink. Rejection hurt... WAIT! Hadn't Gir said that female humans always played coy at first? That must be it, she was just playing coy. So she had only faked rejection. But it was obvious she didn't like the poem. Thankfully, he'd memorized the poem Gir had recited to him, just in case this poem didn't work. He skipped the clearing of the throat and reitterated the same poem to her.

When he was done, she simply stared in disbelief. Who knew Zim, of all things, was a poet? She decided not to comment and walked around the corner and into the building. If he'd made her tardy, he was gonna pay with his vocal cords.

The Irken smirked, thinking he'd done it. He balled his hand into a fist and shook it happily, finishing with a leap for joy. Apparently, he'd gotten a step closer to a major part of life for a human. Or at least he thought he did. And that much was enough for him.

* * *

At lunch, it wasn't much different. Zim was swarming Gaz with the exact same poem. And the worst part was she didn't even know why. Was he hitting on her? It didn't matter, but he needed to stop with the poems before he got seriously hurt... Every time he finished it, he laughed in excitement. Must be some kind of Irken thing...

"ZIM!" Gaz shouted, finally fed up with him, "SHUT UP!"

"Why are you mad?" he asked plainly, confused as to why she'd liked the poetry before but hated it now.

"You're annoying me. Shoo!" She dipped her hand and waved it dismissively.

Again, his squigglysmooch sank. Why did her rejection hurt him so much? He was a mighty Irken invader, not a pathetic human! These were his thoughts as he sat at an empty table to eat alone. Well, he wouldn't actually eat this horrid Earth food, but he toyed with it using his spork. Was this what ll the other human males felt like when courting? Like it was too hard and they should just give up? Well, it was certainly what he felt like... Wooing Gaz was taking alot of effort; he'd repeated her liked poem at least one hundred times, and she still shot him down.

"Zim, I know what you're up to," a low, paranoid voice growled at him.

He lifted his gaze to find Dib looming over him. "Lies!" he screeched.

Dib covered his ears and glowered at Zim. "Geez, man, control yourself. How'd it go with Gaz, anyway? Did she even pay attention to you? Probably not; you don't know anything about what girls on Earth like. You probably used some kind of wierd Irken courtship dance or something."

Zim lowered his eyes and returned to playing with his food, swishing the peas back and forth and sometimes twirling the spork to make the peas clear a small area. After a few minutes, he replied, "...The Gaz human has...rejected me..."

"What did you do? You look like you've been put through the wringer," he pointed out.

Without looking up, he answered dishearteningly, "I wrote a lovely poem for her, but she disliked it. So I recited a poem Gir came up with, and she said nothing. I assumed she was playing coy, like my servant has told me the females on your planet often do during the first stages of courtship. I repeated this poem to her many times just moments ago, but she screamed at me and told me I was annoying her."

Wow, Zim knew nothing... "Ouch... Yeah, Gaz hates poetry. You won't be able to get her to like you, though, Zim. You might as well give up."

"Invaders never give up! NEVER!" he yelled, his usual self returning. "But I must thank you, Dib. Now that I know she does not take interest in such repulsive rhyme as poetry, I shall never utter another poetic word to her again. She will be mine."

"Try all you want. I'm her brother, and I'm telling you up front that you suck. She doesn't like you," Dib stated before he moved to get his lunch and take a seat beside his younger sibling.

"Doesn't now, but in due time, she will," he retorted.

* * *

Exactly a week later, Zim was just finishing plucking a black rose. It, obviously, had black petal that were velvet-soft. It's stem had been completely stripped of its thorns, and it's stem was smooth and slender and green. This one was perfect. She was sure to love this one!

Over the past week, he had carefully observed Gaz. She seemed to like black and purple. He'd also had many trials and all had ended with much shame involved. Somehow, he'd made an error in every one. But this time would be different. It was his last hope. It _had_ to work. If it didn't...he would be at a total loss. He been growing fond of Gaz over the weeks he spent trying futilely to woo her.

He'd once made her a cake. She shoved that in his face. He tried to shield her from the freezing winds of winter by offering her his jacket. She walked right past him without acknowledging his presence. He tried to take her to dinner. She never showed up. He had tried to sing to her at her own home. She had thrown a rock at him. He tried to make her a golden bracelet. She had tossed it in a storm drain. He had tried to give her an umbrella in the rain while he stood there burning in the foul stuff. She'd held up her own umbrella and glared at him until he went away.

But a black rose...it was ingenious!

"Master, if you don't like Gaz, then why are you trying so hard to romance her?" Gir asked.

Zim looked down, wondering the same thing. "I have to blend in with ordinary humans," he told himself.

Gir assumed this was the answer to his question and shrugged. Then he reached for his dog suit and put it on. And then he pulled out a slushy from his head compartment and began slurping on it loudly and contentedly.

Zim hopped off the stool he was using to reach his desk and examined the rose one more time. It was flawless. She would love it so much! He smiled at the inevitable praise he would get from her. But then he frowned. Nothing else had worked; what made him think this would? Besides, he was an alien, not a human. And here he wondered why she didn't like him.

But it was only natural. He was foreign to this planet. He even looked different. Nobody liked him... Gaz sure didn't; she'd made that clear several times over. Dib didn't; he'd also made that very clear. Gir was a robot programmed to like him. But it was Gaz, he realized, that truly mattered to him. The whole reason he kept at her...it made perfect sense. He loved her. He loved her so much it was painful. Too painful for him to bear.

He went into the living room and slumped on the couch, eventually slumping so much he was laying down on it. Gaz hated him; what was the point of his life anymore? The mission? What for? To destroy that which he loved most? there was no point in living. there was no point in loving. He'd tried it, now look what happened.

* * *

Another week passed, and then another. Everything in the world seemed more lifeless with out Zim. It was more boring; quieter.

"Zim absent again?" Mrs. Bitters asked to no one in particular.

Everyone looked around and shrugged.

The teacher sighed. "Is he sick? I need a sick note if he's going to remain tardy like this."

* * *

"Analyzing... Analyzing... Analyzing..." Gir said, his serious mode activating immediately. "Life force: low. Mortality rate: high."

* * *

"It looks like he's not coming to class, Mrs. Bitters," Dib said. Even he was getting suspiscious. What if Zim was completing an evil plan of his? What if mankind was doomed this time? And what if there was no reversing it? Panic-stricken, he raised his hand to ask to be excused. But he didn't need to.

The challenged SIR unit came crashing through a window, grabbing Dib's hand as he turned and rocketed back out the same way he came in, not caring about anyone seeing his true form of a red-eyed robot.

"Hey! I demand an explaination! Are you part of Zim's evil plot?" Dib demanded, struggling to get free of the SIR unit's powerful grip.

"No time. Master is in grave danger. Activating defensive measure 3A-N1 in code file B-8." Gir's eyes flashed a bright light and he went even faster, not unlike a speed demon.

In mere seconds, they were at Zim's house. Gir set Dib down and beckoned him to follow into the house itself. He followed, but went slowly. The lawn was very unkpt and grass was beginning to grow out of control. Weeds were srung up all over the place. A thistle was growing to one side of the yard. The garden gnomes weren't attacking. In fact, they stayed drooped over themselves, as if permanantly deactivated. As if Zim was expecting him...

Inside the house was no better. Robotic arms used for many things now hung limply from the ceiling and walls. Lights were flickering on and off, and it was clear the base Zim had worked so hard to set up was falling into extreme disrepair. Irken technology apparently couldn't last a few weeks without constant maintance. Even Gir had an unclean look to him. A little rust here, a few dents or scratches there. He was going with the house. What had Zim been doing?

The SIR unit, surprisingly still in his duty mode, led him deeper into the house and got into the trash can, again beckoning for Dib to follow.

He did, but not without caution. The elevator the was supposed to lead down to the alien's base creaked slightly as it went down. Even this place was going under...

The machine stopped and its doors were a little slow to open. They were at the main section of the base, where Zim often came up with his ideas for destroying mankind. Was he being led straight into a trap? It didn't look that way... Zim's base was always kept tidy, if nothing else.

"Gir..." a voice strained, "I told you...not to bring anyone here..."

"But, Master... You're-"

"No... I just wanted to go in peace... Is that too much...to ask...?" The voice stopped, and Dib took awhile to recognize it as Zim's.

He rushed over to have a look at the alien that had so badly wanted to obliterate Earth. What he saw was definitely something he hadn't expected to see. Zim was laying on a metal bench-looking thing. His eyes were open, but just barely. And he hadn't changed out of his human disguise. His lens still remained on his Irken eyes, and his wig was still on his head.

His eyes turned to him. "I'm actually...glad you...stopped by." His body shook with every labored breath he took. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was happening to him.

Zim's trembling hand reached up to remove his lenses, revealing two dull red eyes. He handed them to Dib before removing his wig to reveal two broken and battered antennea. He handed this to Dib as well.

The paranormal investigator looked from the items to his rival in sheer confusion.

"Your life's dream...you can have it now. Didn't...you want to...expose me? I have...a needle in the...drawer if you...need blood," he explained. Talking was becoming exceedingly difficult for him.

"Why are you so weak? What happened to you?" Dib asked.

"What hapened... How funny you...should mention that," Zim said.

"My master hasn't eaten anything in two weeks... He refuses to eat or drink... He will surely die if nothing is done to help him..." Gir said sadly.

"It's okay...Dib. I wished for...this to happen. I knew...it would eventually...lead to death. Now, if you would be...so kind as to...let me die in peace..." his voice trailed off and his eyes blinked slowly.

Zim was extremely weak and needed medical attention right away if he was to live. But what did Irkens eat? Dib knew nothing of his alien anatomy. But now he had to make a choice: carry out his life's dream or let Zim suffer before finally dying. And for him, death was probably very close. He looked down at the wig and lens and then back at his old foe.

"Please...I don't know what I would do without my master..." Gir cried, his serious mode deactivated.

"Gir, summarize what happened to make him like this," Dib ordered, hoping the correctional robot would respond to his command.

His serious mode reactivated. "My master has tried many things to woo the Earth female known as Gaz. After failing every time, he had given up all hope of anything else working. He fell into a depression that is fatal to Irkens. It is a depression caused by...love. After being cruelly rejected countless times by the one he loved, my master saw no point in living. He stopped eating and drinking because his brain would no longer register his hunger or thirst. For two weeks he has suffered this depression, and now can no longer support his body. His vital organs are shutting down. Once his brain or heart goes, he dies."

"So, wait... Gaz did this?"

"No, not Gaz. Her rejection is the underlining cause."

"And Zim...loves her?"

"Correct. After trying to court her several times, my master began to accept what he felt. It was the same fond affection seen in humans and Irkens and every other alien race."

"Would he live any longer if he saw Gaz again?" Dib asked.

Gir stayed silent for awhile, as though computing something, and then he spoke, "It is a possibility that the feeling of affection could temporarily overcome the feeling of sorrow. He may be able to register his hunger, if his squigglysmooch has not shut down yet. His heart may also start beating faster and pump the needed blood through his body. He may remain alive longer."

This was all the information Dib needed. He ran into the elevator, telling Gir to do anything he could to keep his master alive until he came back.

* * *

"Gaz!" the investigator shouted as he burst through the door to their house. "Gaz, come quick! It's Zim!"

"Ugh... I don't want to hear about his plans..." she deadpanned.

"No, that's not it! You're killing him!" he gushed.

She raised an eyebrow before popping opena soda and sipping on it for a little.

"Well... Technically, you're not killing him, but... It's complicated, okay? Just come with me before it's too late!" Dib grabbed her arms and pulled her out of the house. He dragged her all the way back to Zim's base, which was still not cleaned up.

"Zim, I have a surprise for you," Dib said, trying to at least get him to sit up.

But the alien, seeing no point to life anymore, only allowed his eyes to completely shut. His breath seemed even more labored than before. He was dying. He knew it, and didn't care. He let his thoughts be filled with memories of seeing Gaz. But most of them were only of her fierce rejection.

"Is this thing really Zim?" her feminine voice came.

That voice...! That was undoubtedly Gaz's voice! She was here! He cracked open his eyes. It was as much as he could manage to do right now. He could hardly lift his gaze, but tried to look up at her face. He couldn't. But he could see her legs, and that was all he needed. His small smile was enough to show Dib he was getting a little bit of strength from an excited heart.

"Say, Zim, aren't you hungry?" he asked bribingly.

Zim opened his mouth and spoke in almost non-understandable words. "I want...to go to dinner...with Gaz," he managed between gasping breaths. His breathing was a little less labored, but was still critical.

Dib looked at Gaz, his eyes begging her to do what he asked.

The violet-haired girl sighed and said, "I guess so..." Even she felt pity for the crumped Zim.

If Zim could cry, he would've. Finally...she finally agreed to do something with him. Which reminded him... "Gir, the gift."

The SIR unit came back with an almost withered black rose and gave it to Gaz. It hadn't been pressed, but it had been put in a vase full of water. Most of the petals were gone; the ones that remained were shriveled into nothing more than a husk. The stem was no longer smooth; it, too, had shriveled up.

"It...used to be...perfect. I got it...for you because...I thought you...were perfect," he strained.

Gaz couldn't help but blush to that comment. Here was a guy seen only in legends and folklore, and he turned out to be an alien she'd known for awhile now. She cracked a smile and said, "Thanks. It's cool."

Zim's smile widened slightly. He thought she might like it. But that was a long time ago, two weeks ago. Which was a long time when you were suffering from severe depression. He tried to keep his eyes open so he could see her longer, but they wouldn't comply to his demands and closed anyway.

"Hey, Dib, I don't think it's working anymore!" Gaz called out.

Her brother rushed into the room with a long needle filled with some kind of clear fluid. "Sorry; it took awhile to find his medical supplies."

"Where do you inject that stuff, anyway?" Gaz asked.

This put Dib at another loss. Where? Where was he supposed to stick the needle in at? This wasn't a human's body, it was an Irken's. He pointed the needle at his side, but figured he might hit a vital organ. So he pointed it over his leg, and figured he might hit an artery.

"Here, let me do it," Gir said, taking the large needle. He pointed it at the same place an IV goes on a human, his arm. Right where the joint was. He pierced the skin with the sharp point of the needle end and injected the fluid into his master slowly and steadily.

Zim didn't awaken, but was breathing a little better. That must mean the medicine was working!

Gaz sighed an inaudible sigh of relief when she saw how the little green guy was already doing better. Dib didn't notice this; he was far too busy trying to tend to Zim.

**A/N **

**C'mon people! Please review! I mean, I understand if you don't like the story, but there are more chapters to come, believe me! I updated sooner this time, too...**


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